Oil supply apparatus for internal combustion engine

An oil supply apparatus applied to an internal combustion engine provided with a variable valve mechanism that is driven by hydraulic pressure, comprising:

• an oil pump that is driven by the internal combustion engine;
• a supply passage that is connected to a discharge side of the oil pump;
• a lubricant passage that leads hydraulic fluid from the supply passage to a portion to be lubricated that is provided in the internal combustion engine;
• a hydraulic passage that leads hydraulic fluid from the supply passage to the variable valve mechanism;
• a flow regulating valve capable of regulating a flowrate of hydraulic fluid that flows through the lubricant passage;
• and
• an electronic control unit configured to control the flow regulating valve in a closing direction to an initial opening amount at startup of the internal combustion engine such that a pressure of hydraulic fluid that is led to the variable valve mechanism when the internal combustion engine is being cranked comes to be equal to or greater than a predetermined target pressure,
• the electronic control unit is configured to control the flow regulating valve to open from the initial opening amount upon a determination that cranking of the internal combustion engine starts and to open farther as more time passes;
• wherein the electronic control unit is configured to control a change of the initial opening amount of the flow regulating valve such that the lower a temperature at the beginning of startup of the internal combustion engine, the smaller an amount of hydraulic fluid that is led to the portion to be lubricated when the internal combustion engine is being cranked.